The ABC allows comments on some of our articles, as a space for you to contribute your thoughts about news events and participate in civil conversations about topical issues.

All comments are moderated and we make no guarantees that your contribution will be published.

Reply

Author

Email

Date/Time

10 Dec 2016 1:57:58pm

Text

PreviousMessage

Michael Boswell

When you say atheism is a recent event, I suspect you are using some private definition of atheism or alternatively have not read beyond the so-called New Atheists.

Atheism, in the sense of non-belief in a theistic god, is older than Christianity. Think of the Samkhya tradition in Hinduism, much of the Buddhist tradition, Confucius, even before you look at ancient Western philosophy.

The allegory of the cave is not just about shadows on the wall. It and the two allegories that preceed it in The Republic are about recognising the form of the good but returning to the mundane world to do one's duty as a philosopher ruler. The Republic is a work of political philosophy not of theology.

So you use the term atheistic humanism simply as a term of abuse. Yet you might be a Christian Humanist. Well, I suppose that would be something. To me, the best of religion comes from its humanistic aspect, from the way all religions do borrow from wisdom, compassion, and intelligence while claiming to be merely reinterpreting revelation. That's how Christians stopped believing in slavery.